No matter what, applications should not automatically assume that they should take the center stage and pop to the forefront. This does two things – it takes the cursor focus away from where the user was typing and it creates the need to shift focus back to the place it used to be. This is bad behavior. If you write GUI applications please, please, please don’t allow your application to do this.
The most common form of figuring inflation uses the consumer price index (CPI) to monitor the changes over time. These numbers are tracked and compiled, by region, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are different indices but the most revealing of all is the CPI for all items. This includes energy, food, service, and other costs. The only notable thing it excludes is healthcare costs. These numbers give us an idea of what consumer spending is for many different items and categories over a period of time, which gives a fairly accurate depiction of inflation itself.
To figure inflation the first thing we will need is a data set for the regions you are interested in. I chose national and southeast. Keep in mind that it takes a while to compile all the data, so there is always a lag in what is available. Here are the numbers since 12/2006:
| National CPI | Southeast CPI | |
|---|---|---|
| 12/2006 | 201.800 | 194.800 |
| 01/2007 | 202.416 | 195.021 |
| 02/2007 | 203.499 | 195.950 |
| 03/2007 | 205.352 | 197.904 |
| 04/2007 | 206.686 | 199.618 |
| 05/2007 | 207.949 | 200.804 |
| 06/2007 | 208.352 | 201.675 |
| 07/2007 | 208.299 | 201.571 |
| 08/2007 | 207.917 | 201.041 |
| 09/2007 | 208.490 | 201.697 |
| 10/2007 | 208.936 | 202.155 |
| 11/2007 | 210.177 | 203.437 |
| 12/2007 | 210.036 | 203.457 |
| 01/2008 | 211.080 | 204.510 |
| 02/2008 | 211.693 | 205.060 |
| 03/2008 | 213.528 | 206.676 |
| 04/2008 | 214.823 | 208.085 |
We can then use this formula to calculate the change over time as a percentage, which is inflation:
% inflation for period = [ (cpi2 – cpi1) / cpi1 ] * 100
To calculate the total inflation throughout 2007 we take the index from December 2006, to account for the change in January 2007, and the index from December 2007 and plug them into our formula:
[ ( 210.036 – 201.800 ) / 201.800 ] * 100 = 4.08%
Likewise, we can calculate the inflation for 2008 using the same methods, which show us to be off to a rocky start:
[ ( 214.823 – 210.036 ) / 210.036 ] * 100 = 2.28%
These calculations are important to keep in mind when it comes to negotiating salary, regardless of whether it is for a job offer, a raise, or anything else. If the inflation rate you calculate is less than when the compensation increase is, you are losing real income, if the inflation rate is the same then you are breaking even, and if the inflation rate is lower then you are increasing your compensation.
Maintaining momentum really is an art form. This came to me where most of my thoughts do, during my morning commute. There is a certain portion of the highway that routinely slows down because it junctions with one of the largest thoroughfares in our city. Traffic inevitably stops or slows here, but for the select few, there is a way to keep moving. Over the past two years I, and many others, have discovered that there is a specific pattern to the traffic flow.
Approaching the junction lane 1 slows because everyone is getting over to avoid incoming traffic and because people are trying to move into lane 2. Lane 2 slows slightly to accommodate movement from lane 1 and from people trying to get into lane 3. Lane 3 speeds up because people are exiting the highway and there are fewer cars. Leaving the junction the opposite occurs. Traffic in lane 3 slows down to accommodate incoming vehicles and because people are trying to move to lane 2. Lane 2 slows slightly to accommodate people from lane 3 and because they are trying to move to lane 1. Lane 1 speeds up because there is the least amount of resistance there.
The most interesting part of the traffic though is that as you pass through the junction there is a gray (bluish) area that affords drivers the opportunity of maintaining their momentum. But there is an art to it. If you move over too early you end up sitting still because you are stuck in the red part of lane 1, however if you move over too late you find in the red area in lane 3. Either way, you are killing momentum. The ability to move in and out of the gray area on a green lane truly is an art form that takes the ability to read the situation correctly and be lucky enough to be in a position to capitalize upon it.
Finding the way to maintain momentum will vary by interchange, highway, city, number of people on the road, the time of day, the day of year, whether there are a lot of schools around, and many other variables. What stays constant is that in all cases there is either a way to maintain momentum or there isn’t. When there is a way to maintain momentum the practice is often going to be more of an art form, sprinkled with a little luck, than it is to be a skill.
Sounds like business, huh?
